‘It’s never too late’: HC calls for war-footing efforts to make Mumbai clean, hygienic

MUMBAI: It is “never too late” to make Mumbai a clean and hygienic city, the Bombay High Court said on Wednesday, calling for efforts “on war footing” by all stakeholders, including citizens, to turn the goal into reality

MUMBAI: It is “never too late” to make Mumbai a clean and hygienic city, the Bombay High Court said on Wednesday, calling for efforts “on war footing” by all stakeholders, including citizens, to turn the goal into reality.

A division bench of justices G S Kulkarni and Dr Neela Gokhale, hearing a batch of petitions over the continued dumping of municipal solid waste at the Kanjurmarg landfill, said maintaining public hygiene was a collective responsibility and required citizens to aid the municipal machinery.

The bench, in its August 27 order, said the steps being taken by BMC municipal commissioner were “path-breaking” and would go a long way towards achieving the desired objectives of a cleaner city.

The petitions, filed by residents of the eastern suburbs, nonprofit Vanashakti and others, have challenged the continued dumping of municipal solid waste at the Kanjurmarg landfill. They have also raised concerns over the persistent odour emanating from the facility, claiming it spreads across Kanjurmarg, Bhandup, Vikhroli and Mulund, particularly at night.

It said the civic body would not be able to meet the challenge unless residents themselves “curb their reckless and negligent habits of failing to meet basic civic expectations”.

The bench observed that residents who freely throw garbage and litter on public streets in Mumbai do not behave in the same manner when they travel abroad. It said the municipal wards and municipal machinery needed to be activated and strict action resorted to wherever necessary.

The observations came after the BMC submitted an affidavit detailing the measures taken following the high court’s July 15 order, which had directed the civic body to ensure garbage-free streets, install CCTV cameras at garbage-vulnerable points and strengthen cleanliness measures, among other steps.

According to the affidavit, the municipal commissioner issued a circular on August 3 directing all assistant commissioners, zonal deputy municipal commissioners, solid waste management (SWM) officers and other concerned officials to ensure anti-littering drives, regular inspections and enforcement action.

Ward officers have also been instructed to ensure regular waste collection and strict monitoring in both notified slums and redeveloped SRA areas, the BMC told the court, so that no area is deprived of municipal sanitation services. The civic body further informed the court that awareness programmes were being conducted and a press note had been issued urging citizens, tourists and others to refrain from throwing garbage into nalas and water bodies.

It also said that open nullahs are being covered phase-wise, with suitable stretches being converted into closed drainage systems wherever technically feasible and permissible. The measures, however, came against the backdrop of continuing instances of irresponsible dumping.

Advocate Abhijeet P Rane, appearing for residents of the Kannamwar Cooperative Housing Society in Vikhroli, tendered a photograph before the court showing a drainage clogged with plastic bottles and other waste, obstructing the drainage system in Vikhroli.

“This is only the tip of the iceberg. We do not know how many such instances are unnoticed in the different wards,” the court said, directing the ward officer to look into such instances. The bench stressed that it was of “paramount public importance” that large cities such as Mumbai remain free from “filth, trash, garbage etc.”

“It is also a fundamental duty to protect and improve the environment to safeguard public property. Such obligations of the citizens towards the society can neither be forgotten nor compromised,” it remarked.

The court also flagged the wider consequences of reckless dumping, noting that accumulated trash and garbage create breeding grounds for mosquitoes, rodents and stray animals. This, it said, made accountability at every level of the community all the more important.

Emphasising that a clean city could not be the responsibility of the municipal corporation alone, the bench said that once the community developed the will to achieve its desired goals, success was not far away. “It’s never too late,” the court observed, stressing the need for concerted efforts “on war footing” from all stakeholders, including citizens.

“As pointed out on behalf of the Municipal Corporation ‘Clean Mumbai, Green Mumbai’ would not merely be confined to be a paper slogan, but a vision being brought into reality,” the bench said.

The matter has been posted for further consideration on September 10.